Wednesday, April 13, 2011

UPDATE: X-Wing Books are Here to Stay

The other day, Michael Stackpole informed fans that his X-Wing books are still in print. Having read his blog entry explaining why he was under the impression the impression that his books were no longer in print, I completely understand why someone would come to that conclusion. I hope that this type of confusion does not happen to anyone else.

This error, however, has a positive side to it. One, Stackpole is giving fans his perspective on the publishing industry. The more authors and publishers that share their views, the clearer the picture becomes for those who outside the business. In addition, fans rallied behind Stackpole. Anyone, regardless of the industry, benefits in some way from support.

The third group to benefit from this ordeal is the Star Wars franchise. Fans of the X-Wing books backed Stackpole and X-Wing series. The sheer amount of fans who shared a common sadness for the loss of such great works in the Star Wars fandom displays that yes; the fans are still out there. It also shows what fans want as a whole. Lately, many blogs, forum, Facebook and Twitter posts state the many issues of the current Star Wars fandom. These range from a severe lack of strong female characters to repetitive plots to poor characterization. I will not dive into these issues in this blog post.

The X-Wing series feature a rich cast of characters not seen in the movies. With Han, Leia and Luke aging, it’s past time for the next generation to take the spotlight. The X-Wing series serves as a strong example that a book featuring many Expanded Universe characters works.

So rejoice, Star Wars fans, we get to keep a treasure! I wish many more years of royalties to Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston for their great contributions. They deserve them.